Hiring managers unveil some strange stunts pulled by job applicants

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Dive Brief:

Jerry Seinfeld famously said, “Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason."

When it comes to the job search, that sentiment may be true. For its latest survey, CareerBuilder asked more than 2,000 hiring managers to name the most unusual ways job seekers have succeeded in getting their attention – but not necessarily the job.

The national online survey was conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder by Harris Poll between May 14 and June 3, 2015, and included more than 2,000 full-time, U.S. hiring and human resources managers across various industries and company sizes.

Dive Insight:

So what did Careerbuilder find out?

"Job seekers know they’re competing with a lot of other candidates, so they’re trying more unusual tactics to stand out from the crowd," says Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. "For example, one candidate made a 'Top Ten' list of reasons to hire him."

Another candidate acted like a game show host. One inventive guy had a cake delivered to the hiring manager with the words “Congratulations! [candidate's name] got the job!” (He probably didn't). And then there was the woman who had her resume gift-wrapped. There were many others, equally inventive but probably doomed to fail.

"While these tactics may succeed in impressing hiring managers, what ultimately determines if they get the job is having the necessary skills and experience hiring managers are looking for," says Haefner.